Milestone is now reached by family-run vehicle business

The honour of celebrating two anniversaries can be boasted by a family-run vehicle business in Gosberton Risegate.

Country Workshops is the 90-year-old base for 4 Wheel Drive Truck Centre which has been run for the last 50 years by three generations of the Battley family, Arthur, Peter and Tim.

The firm specialises in designing, modifying, manufacturing and restoring 4x4s, Land Rovers and Range Rovers of various ranges, including Classic, Camper and Defender models.

Tim said: “Country Workshops started life as a blacksmiths, garage and general repairs shop, adding a taxi business and light haulage centre later on.

“Then the business moved to larger premises where customers could have accumulator batteries for radios charged.

“A new premises was designed and built in 1948, funnily enough the same year that the Land Rover was born and the business continued with its repair and haulage service in Gosberton Risegate.”

Tim’s grandfather Arthur bought out the business in 1965, bringing his son Peter on board who already had experience of working on cars made by Austin, Jaguar, Daimler, Rover, Bentley and Rolls Royce at Levertons Dealership and Garage in Spalding.

Eventually, Tim joined the team in the 1980s and the business is now regarded as a Land Rover parts and bodywork specialist.

“When my grandfather bought the business in 1965, he amalgamated it with the rest of his businesses both to run alongside and increase his interests in the area,” Tim said.

“Arthur and my dad run the garages as local workshops, dealing with all the motoring needs of the area such as farm vehicles.

“When my dad was occasionally asked by Levertons to help them with specialist repairs, we became specialists in a variety of British vehicles, including Land Rover.

“Me and my dad have worked together since the 1980s so the anniversaries are a milestone for us.

“There can’t be too many businesses that go back that far and I don’t know how many there will be.”